Chapter 4: Geometry and coordinate geometry

TMUA MAT STEP

Introduction

For the purposes of this chapter, the word geometry is used to mean the

study of points in two dimensions (the Euclidean Plane). In coordinate

geometry, the positions of points are represented by coordinate vectors

relative to a set of axes. This approach, which enables objects such as lines

and circles to be defined by equations, was not fully developed until the

work of the great 17th century mathematicians René Descartes and Pierre

de Fermat. By contrast, the geometry of the ancient Greeks, which did not

make use of coordinates, is called synthetic or pure geometry.

Points and lines

You will have encountered several forms for equations of lines, such as y =

mx + c for the line with gradient m that crosses the y axis at the point (0, c).

This form does not cover all cases because it excludes vertical lines (for

which the gradient is not defined). The most general form for the equation

of a line is ax + by + c = 0 (where a and b are not both zero). Notice that

vertical lines are defined by equations with b = 0.

The distance from a point P to a line L is the shortest distance from P to any

point on L. If Q is the point on L that is closest to P, then the lines PQ and L

are perpendicular (and intersect at Q).

Clearly vertical lines and horizontal lines are perpendicular. Two non-

vertical lines are perpendicular if and only if the product of their gradients is

−1.

Example 1

Question

(i) Find the point Q on the line L : 3x + y = 19 that is closest to the point

P(3, 0).

(ii) Find the distance from P to L.

(iii) What is the reflection of the point P in L?

Solution

The lines PQ and L are perpendicular and the gradient of L is -3. So the

line PQ has gradient Therefore its equation is of the form

and contains the point P(3, 0).

 (i)

Draw a diagram!

To find the coordinates of Q you solve the simultaneous equations 3x + y

= 19 and

The distance from P to L is the length of the line segment PQ.

(ii)

The reflection of P in L is the other point P on the line PQ which is the

same distance from Q. From P(3, 0) to Q(6, 1) is a translation of

(iii) P′ is (9, 2).

Congruent and similar triangles

It is very easy to forget some of the basic skills that you learned when you

were younger. It is surprising how many students struggle in geometry

questions in admissions tests because they didn’t realise that a situation

included triangles that were congruent or similar. In some cases, an

appreciation of similar or congruent triangles can speed up some

calculations considerably.

Example 2

Question

The line L2 passes through the point (-4, 1) and is perpendicular to the line

L2 : 4x + 3y = 24. Area A is the area enclosed by L1, L2 and the x axis.

Area B is the area enclosed by L1, L2 and the y axis. The ratio A : B is

A 19 : 6

B 47 : 18

C 475 : 12

D 193 : 36

E 289 : 36

Solution
The first thing to do is to draw a diagram.

The temptation here is to opt for an entirely coordinate geometry driven

approach, working out the equation of the line L2 and its intersection with

both axes and line L1. Whilst its equation and intersection with the y axis

are going to be useful, there is no need to find its intersection with the x

axis or with line L1. In this situation the question can be done quickly by

realising that triangles A and B are similar to the triangle that line L1

makes with both axes.

There is one more useful triangle that is similar to all of the others and

that is the triangle formed by line L2 and the two axes:

Similar triangles can now be used. The length of PQ is 10 units as it is

simply an enlargement of a 3, 4, 5 right-angled triangle.

Using the intersections of the lines is a perfectly acceptable way of doing

this. The numbers are deliberately unfriendly in this question so the

intersection of L1 and L2 gives awkward fractions for both the x and the y

coordinate. In an admissions test, the choice is yours as to what path to

take so you should weigh up the effort required and the opportunity to

make errors when selecting your approach.

Circles

A circle is a set of points which are equidistant from a fixed point. The

familiar equation for the circle with centre (a, b) and radius r is:

The expanded form of the equation of a circle is:

To convert from the expanded form to the centre–radius form you effectively

complete the square on both the x and y terms as follows:

Clearly for some choices of A, B and C in the expanded form there will be

no solutions for x and y.

Try it out

Show that the expanded form of the equation of a circle has solutions if
2 2 2 2
and only if A + B ≥ 4C. Describe the ‘circle’ in the case when A + B =

4C.

Example 3

Question

A ladder is placed vertically upright against a wall.

(i) Show that the midpoint of the ladder traces an arc of a circle as the

base slides away from the wall.

(ii) What if the ladder toppled backwards away from the wall instead?
(Assume there is no friction and the ladder moves smoothly in each case.)

Solution

Set up coordinate axes so that the floor is the x axis and the wall is the y

axis. Let the length of the ladder be L. The base of the ladder stays at the

origin while the midpoint starts at

Before you can use coordinates you need to set up some axes. The

obvious choice would be to use the floor and the wall as the x and y

axes respectively. You could choose units so that the ladder has length

1 (or even length 2 so that the midpoint starts at (0, 1)).

If you denote the coordinates of the midpoint of the ladder by (x, y)

you may be able to find a formula for y in terms of x. It often helps to

draw a picture!

(i) Let the midpoint of the ladder have coordinates (x, y). The two

triangles in the diagram are congruent since they have the same
 interior angles and equal hypotenuse lengths. Since the upper triangle

has base x and the lower triangle has height y it follows by

Pythagoras’ Theorem that and hence that the path

traced by the centre of the ladder is a quarter circle of radius

It is tempting to use a similar approach in part (ii) but there is a

much simpler solution based on the synthetic definition of a circle.

(ii) The midpoint of the circle is always distance from the origin and

hence traces the path of a quarter circle of radius

In fact every point on the ladder moves along the arc of a circle in (ii) but

not in (i).
Circle theorems

You are expected to know and be able to apply the following facts about

circles.

The perpendicular from the centre to a chord bisects the chord.

The tangent at any point on a circle is perpendicular to the radius at that

point.

The angle subtended by an arc at the centre of a circle is twice the angle

subtended by an arc at any point on the circumference.

The angle in a semicircle is a right angle.

Angles in the same segment are equal.

Opposite angles in a cyclic quadrilateral add up to 180°.

The angle between the tangent and the chord at the point of contact is equal

to the angle in the alternate segment.

Example 4

Question

In this diagram, all of the circles are touching and the sides of the outside

triangle are tangents to the largest circle.

The radius of the smallest circle is 1 unit.

Find the side length of the triangle.

Solution

For this question a sketch of the smallest circle and the three

surrounding it is a good starting point.

Let the length of the radii of the middle sized circles be r.

There is a lot of symmetry that can be used to your advantage in this

question. Joining the centres of the three circles surrounding the central

one will produce an equilateral triangle. The line joining one of the

vertices of that equilateral triangle to the centre of the small circle will

bisect one of the angles of the triangle. You now have some angles that

you know and some lengths to work with. Joining the centre of the small

circle to the midpoint of one of the equilateral triangle sides creates a

right-angled triangle. One of the circle theorems can tell you why this is –

do you know which one?

The hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle formed will be the sum of the

radius of the small circle and the radius of one of the middle sized circles.

Some simple trigonometry can be used.

The radius of the large circle is the sum of the diameter of one of the

middle sized circles added to the radius of the small circle, i.e. 1 + 2r.

Joining the centre of the large circle to one of the vertices of the

equilateral triangle and to the midpoint of one of the sides gives a right-

angled triangle that is similar to the one that has just been used.
Example 5

Question

2 2
The diagram shows the circle x + y - 6x - 8y + 21 = 0. Two tangents to

the circle pass through (0, 1).

The angle between the two tangents at (0, 1) is θ.

Show that

Solution

The centre and radius of the circle will help to establish some lengths.

Marking in some useful radii will help as well as labelling some points to

help with the explanation.

The circle has centre (3, 4) and radius 2.

The radii connecting the centre of the circle to the point of

intersection with a tangent create a right angle. Joining the centre of

the circle to the point (0, 1) will bisect the angle θ.

By Pythagoras’s Theorem:

You now know the lengths AB, AC, AD, BC and CD (and that ADC is

congruent to ABC) which should be enough to find cos θ. One way to find

cos θ is to find and use the double angle formula cos 2A =

2 2
cos A - sin A. If this does not come easily to mind, similar triangles and

the cosine rule can be used to find the result. The length of the line

segment joining B to D is needed for this. A diagram of the triangle ABD

will help you see how to find this.

By the cosine rule:

If you used the double angle formula, you would need to state that

and
Coordinate geometry and other curves

In an admissions test, you may find yourself having to work with some

curves that are not usually part of A level mathematics (although they may

be part of further mathematics). If that is the case you are not expected to

know anything in particular about the curve in question. What you are

expected to be able to do is use the equation of a curve to find points of

intersection with a line by solving the equations of the line and curve

simultaneously usually by substitution. You may also have to find where two

curves intersect. If this is the case then the equation resulting from

whichever substitution you use will be something that you should be able to

solve without using anything from beyond the syllabus.

Example 6

Question

2 2
The ellipse defined by 4x + y = 4 is intersected at two points A and B by a

straight line with gradient m that passes through the point (−0.5, 0). The

point M is the midpoint of the straight line segment that joins A to B.

What is the equation of the locus of the point M as m varies between −∞

and +∞?

Solution

2 2
4x + y = 4

2
x = 0, y = 4 so y = ±2. The ellipse crosses the y axis at (0, 2) and (0, −2).

2
y = 0, x = 1 so x = ±1. The ellipse crosses the x axis at (1, 0) and (−1, 0).

A sketch of the ellipse would definitely help here. The intersections

with the axes can be found by setting x = 0 and then y = 0. The

2
equation of an ellipse looks a little like the equation of the circle x +
2
y = 4 so perhaps that can help with the shape.
 2 2 2 2
4x + y = 4 ⇔ (2x) + y = 4

2 2
The ellipse can be found by transforming the circle x + y = 4 by a stretch

in the x direction with a scale factor of

The line will pivot about the point (-0.5, 0) and will go from vertical

through a complete 180° rotation to vertical once more. It is possible

to imagine the shape that the point M describes and this can help

confirm the final result. It would help to have an equation for the line

through A and B (in terms of m) so that the points of intersection

with the ellipse can be found.

Line through A and B: y = mx + c

Passing through (−0.5, 0): x = -0.5, y = 0

 2 2
Substitute into 4x + y = 4

Rather than actually calculate the x values from this to find the midpoint,

you can speed this process up by remembering that the x coordinate of the

midpoint will be half of the sum of the x coordinates of A and B. From a

2
quadratic equation of the form ax + bx + c = 0, the sum of the roots is

equal to Since the roots of the equation (*) will be the x coordinates

of A and B, their sum can be read directly from the equation.

There is a potential division by 0 at this last stage. Substituting m = 0 into

(1) and (2) results in x = 0, y = 0 so the locus includes (0, 0).

Substituting into (2)

This could be substituted into either equation (1) or equation (2).

Equation (2) looks the slightly simpler equation of the two.

This is the equation of the locus of M and therefore the answer to the

question. With a little manipulation of this equation, you can use what

you know about graphical transformation to sketch it. Note that you are

not asked to do this so the next piece of working is simply to see how the

curve could be sketched.

 2 2
This can be compared to the original equation of the ellipse 4x + y = 4

with a transformation and some sort of stretch applied. It must also be an

ellipse. To sketch it the points where can be considered. You already

know that it passes through (0, 0).

The ellipse will have a line of symmetry at
Exercise 1

1 The points (−3, 1) and (1, −2) are two vertices of a square. Find the

equation of the line on which all of the possible centres of the square

lie.

2 2
2 Circle C1 and circle C1 are defined by the equations x + y − 4x − 2y −

2 2
20 = 0 and x + y + 6x + 8y + 16 = 0 respectively.

(i) Find the distance between the point P1 on circle C1 and the point

P2 on circle C2 where P1 and P2 are as close to each other as

possible.

(ii) Find the distance between the point P1 on circle C1 and the point

P2 on circle C2 where P1 and P2 are as far away from each other as

possible.

2 2
3 The parabola intercepts the circle x + y − 4y = 16 at the

points A, B, C and D.

Find the area of the trapezium ABCD.

4 The straight line y = mx + c, where m < 0, intercepts the y axis at point A

and the x axis at point B. It also intercepts the curve xy = 1 at points C

and D. Given that the y coordinate of A is greater than 0, the x

coordinate of B is greater than 0 and that the x coordinate of D is

greater than the x coordinate of C, show that the length of AC is equal to

the length of BD.

5 The parabolas in this diagram have a common tangent at x = 2.

 Given that one parabola has a vertex at (0, 2) and the other has a vertex

at (3, 5), find the equation of each curve and the equation of the

common tangent.

6 Find the distance between the parallel lines with equations

A circle C touches both of these

lines at the points A and B. Given that where O is the

origin, find the coordinates of A and B and the equation of the circle.

7 ABC is an equilateral triangle.

P is a point on AB such that AP : PB = 1 : 2

Q is a point on BC such that BQ : QC = 1 : 2

R is a point on AC such that RC : RA = 1 : 2

The lines AQ and BR intersect at point X.

The lines BR and CP intersect at point Y.

The lines CP and AQ intersect at point Z.

Find the ratio of the area of triangle XYZ to triangle ABC.

Exercise 2

Admissions test multiple choice questions

TMUA style questions

2 2 2 2 2
1 The circles with equations (x - r) + (y - 2) = r and (x + r) + (y + r) =
2
4r touch precisely once when

2 The shortest distance between the parabola and the line

B 1

3 The maximum distance between a point on the circle

and a point on the circle

B 13

E 14
4 Find the value(s) of a such that the turning point of the parabola

is closest to the origin.

E a = 0

5 One tangent to the circle passes through the point (0,

8) and the positive x axis. What is the value of x at the point where it

crosses the x axis?

A 4

D 8

2 2
6 A circle with equation x + y − 14x − 2y + 34 = 0 has a regular octagon

drawn inside it so that every vertex of the octagon touches the circle.

What (in square units) is the area of the octagon?

A 8

C 16

E 32

G 48

2 2
7 The line y = 2x + c is such that it intersects the circle x + y = 9 at two

points A and B. M is the midpoint of the chord AB of the circle. The

equation of the locus of M as c varies between is

 2 2
A x + y = 2

2
D y = x

E y = x

F y = −x

2 2
8 The tangent to the circle x + y + 6x + 2y + 2 = 0 at the point (−5, 1)

passes through the point (−3, 3). The other tangent to the circle that

passes through this point touches the circle at the point

B (−3, 1)

D (−1, 1)

E
MAT style questions

2 2
9 The parabolas with equations y = k − (x + 2) and x = k − (y + 2) touch

(i.e. meet tangentially) at a single point. It follows that k is equal to

(a) 1

(b)

(c)

(d) -1

(e)

10 An A4 sheet of paper has side lengths in the ratio The paper is

folded as shown in this diagram.

If the shorter side is said to have length 1, what is the perimeter of the

trapezium that is created?

(a)

(b)

(c)
 (d)

(e) 2

11 The circle encloses the point (1, 1) precisely

when

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

12 Which of the following is a tangent to the circle

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

2
13 Given that f(x) = x − 3x + 9, what are the coordinates of the turning

point of the curve y = 3 − 2f(x + 3)?

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

14 The reflection of the point (a, a) in the line where a ≠ 0 is

 (a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

15 ABCD is a square with vertex A on the circumference of a circle of

radius 4 units. The side lengths of the square are equal to the diameter

of the circle. The sides AB and AD of the square intersect the circle as

shown in this diagram.

Let X be the area of the intersection between the square and the circle.

What is the maximum value of X?

(a) 8(1 + π)

(b) 2(4 + π)
 (c) 16(1 + π)

(d) 8(2 + π)

(e) 4(2 + π)

2 2
16 The circle C has equation x + y = 1 and is intersected at (0, 1) and (0,

-1) by two circles of radius r, one with a centre at (a, 0) and the other

with a centre at (−a, 0). This is shown in the diagram.

The value of a that results in C having three distinct regions of equal

area satisfies the equation

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

Note: this question assumes that you will be working in degrees rather

than radians as radian measure is not a part of the MAT syllabus.